The NCAA men’s hockey tournament is set to begin with 16 teams vying for a spot in the Frozen Four championship in St. Paul, Minnesota. The tournament, which kicks off on Thursday, will feature top-seeded teams such as Boston College, Boston University, Denver, and Michigan State.
Regional play is scheduled to start on Thursday and will conclude on March 31, with the national semifinals set for April 11 and the championship game on April 12 at the Xcel Energy Center. All tournament games will be broadcast on the ESPN family of networks and streamed on ESPN+. The tournament will also feature an interactive bracket that will be updated as games are played.
Boston College, the Hockey East champion and the No. 1 team for much of the season, secured the top overall seed. Other top seeds include Boston University, Denver, and Michigan State. The tournament champions in Atlantic Hockey, the Big Ten, CCHA, ECAC, Hockey East, and NCHC were automatic qualifiers, while the remaining 10 at-large spots were determined by the PairWise rankings.
The tournament schedule includes four regional matchups: Springfield (Massachusetts) Regional, Sioux Falls (South Dakota) Regional, Providence (Rhode Island) Regional, and Maryland Heights (Missouri) Regional. Each regional will feature semifinals and a final, with the winners advancing to the Frozen Four.
Following the regionals, the Frozen Four will take place on April 11 for the national semifinals and April 13 for the championship game. The tournament will also showcase top storylines and players, providing an in-depth analysis of the teams and players from ESPN college hockey analysts Andrew Raycroft and Sean Ritchlin.
One of the key storylines to watch is which team outside the top four could make a run at the national title. According to ESPN college hockey analyst Andrew Raycroft, Omaha is a strong contender, having recently upset North Dakota in the NCHC semifinals and showcasing an impressive performance in a battle-tested conference.
